Washing machine



Nov. 13, 1956 w. H. KUN-rz 2,770,121

WASHING MACHINE Filed April 25, 195s Unite tates wAsrmtG MASCHn'sE William H. Kuntz, Grand Rapids, Mich. Application April 23, 1953, Serial No. 350,644

11 Claims. (Cl. 68-38) This invention relates to washing machines, and has as its principal object the provision of a unique Washing machine mechanism, specifically designed to wash clothes. More specifically, the invention relates to a novel device for handling the clothes within a washing machine tub,

so that they are shifted about in a manner effective to bring each individual garment into repeated and direct contact with the washing instrumentalities of the machine in a dependable yet simple manner.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated, the apparatus is in the form of a portable Washing unit adapted to be placed in any convenient tub, sink or other container adapted to function as the washing vessel. ln such a device, the ditliculties involved in providing means for successfully bringing the clothes into direct contact with the washing surfaces of the machine in such a manner as to effect adequate washing have been seemingly insurmountable, and the eliiciency of mechanical units intended for the purpose has appeared to be greatly dependent upon the exact size and shape of washing vessel employed, as well as upon the depth of the wash water, and other variable factors. lt is a feature of this invention to provide a washing machine which does not include a tub or any other washing vessel as a permanent part of the washing machine unit. According to the present teaching, the washing machine mechanism is a small, relatively lightweight, portable and self-contained unit which may be placed in any convenient receptacle of adequate size to function as the container for the wash water. In its preferred embodiment, the washing machine unit is made of an appropriate size for use in a vessel such as an ordinary kitchen sink, bathtub or lavatory. The washing machine unit includes an electric motor as the prime mover, together with a scrubbing member in somewhat cylindrical form, surrounding the motor and adaptedV to directly engage and manipulate the clothes and exert a direct mechanical washing action upon them.

The washing machine unit is adapted to stand in upright position in a more or less centrally disposed location with respect to the washing vessel, but the vessel may be comparatively small or quite large. Also, the vessel may be well filled with clothes, or a large washing vessel may be used with only a few garments. It is accordingly an essential feature of the present invention to provide means for bringing the individual garments of the wash into contact with the scrubbing element of the machine regularly and dependably.

The primary object of the invention is to provide means whereby the clothes surrounding the portable washing unit are caused to be brought into operative engagement with the active surfaces of the washing machine by means of flotation as influenced by ow currents set up within the washing fluid. Applicants accomplishment of this object includes providing means for giving the articles of clothing within the washing duid suflicient buoyancy so that they will rise to the surface of the fluid and be drawn inwardly toward the washing unit by gentle flow currents established within the washing solution. By this means,

the individual 'garments are regularly and repeatedly brought into direct physical engagement with the exterior basket or manipulator of the washing machine so that they are repeatedly subjected to an efficient mechanical washing action. This is in sharp contrast to conventional washing machines wherein the garments are not sufficiently buoyant to float upon the surface of the washing solution andare moved only by the exertion of considerable force, but it is extremely important in a machine adapted to function with a comparatively small driving motor.

An essential feature of the invention resides in the provision of a circulating pump or impeller arranged to move the washing solution in such a manner as to establish surface iiow currents toward the position of the machine1 Another essential of the invention is the provision of means for injecting measured quantities of air into the Washing fluid adjacent the bottom of the washing vessel and projecting substantial amounts of air intorthe clothing as small air bubbles, whereby the air bubbles adhering to the various individual garments within the washing vessel may give them buoyancy suicient so that established current flow paths in the Washing uid may be utilized to move the clothes in a comparatively definite pattern and bring them periodically into engagement with the scrubbing instrumentalities of the washing machine.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means for projecting air bubbles directly against the surfaces of fabrics being washed in the machine and into thc crevices, folds and recesses between individual layeis of the fabric of a given garment, for example, as the garment is rolled, turned and manipulated in the Washing process', whereby air pockets formed between the individual layers of fabric of a given garment will cause it to rloat to the surface of the washing fluid. A still further object of the invention is the provision of means for impinging a stream of water and air bubbles forcefully against the surfaces of fabrics being washed in a washing solution, whereby air may penetrate the fabric and become entrapped in the folds thereof, as well as adhering to the exterior surfaces of the fabric in the form of relatively small air bubbles.

A further o-bject is the provision of means for normalizing the power requirements of a portable washing machine of the type disclosed, irrespective of whether the machine is fully loaded or operated in a container of fluid containing little or no fabric material.

The foregoing objects are accomplished according to the present teaching by a relatively small, simple and inexpensive washing machine illustrated in the drawings of this specification, and having a rapidly moving outer scrubbing member, with a circulating pump disposed in a more or less central location at the bottom of a washing vessel in order to project water outwardly in all directions from the bottom of said pump, and to thus produce return currents on the surface of the washing solution. A metered amount of free air is admitted into the inlet of the impeller. By this expedient, the power required by the driving motor is rendered substantially constant, and is not greatly affected by the loading of clothes in the washing receptacle. Also, admitting air into the pump inlet results in projecting a stream of Water and air bubbles against the clothing to impart buoyancy to the fabric. The individual garments are thereafter oated along the surface of the wash water in accordance with a predetermined pattern defined by the currents of liquid ow in the washing medium In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a central sectional View of a washing machine constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention and adapted to wash clothes by the unique method contemplated in this disclosure; and

Figure is a diagrammatic illustration of the washing method used by the washing machine of the present invention, when utilized in connection with a typical washing vessel.

The preferred form of the invention illustrated in the attached drawings has a motor 5 mounted above a pump housing 6, with a scrubbing member 7 partially surrounding the lower end of the motor and the upper end of the pump housing, and mounted for vertical reciprocating movement with respect thereto. The pump housing has a relatively tlat base or bottom plate 8 attached to the upper pump housing 6 by a plurality of spacing members 9. Suction cups 11 are provided on the under side of the base plate 8, so that the entire machine may be temporarily amxed to the bottom surface of any conventional tub or other receptacle.

The pump housing 6 and its base plate 8 serve as the primary support for the entire washing machine. To this end, the pump housing 6 has an enlarged central pump :chamber 12 with an upwardly extending tubular sleeve or neck portion 13 to which vertical risers 14 and 15 are welded or otherwise secured. The risers 14 and 15 have a motor mounting plate 16 secured to their upper ends by screws 17 and 18. The fractional horsepower electric motor 5 which drives the pump is mounted on the upper face of this plate. A handle (not shown) may be provided on the upper end of the motor for convenience in placing the machine in position in any convenient Washing receptacle, or in removing it therefrom.

The armature shaft 19 of the motor projects downwardly between the risers 14 and 15, in a position coaxial with the base plate and the pump housing. It extends downwardly through the pump inlet or neck portion 13 of the pump housing and terminates just short of the base plate 8, The lower extremity of the motor shaft is provided with a centrifugal impeller 21 located just above the base plate S and within the upwardly offset portion 12 of the housing 6. Thus, when the armature shaft 19 of the motor rotates, rotation of the impeller 21 will draw wash water downwardly through the tubular neck portion of the housing and will pump it outwardly in all directions through the relatively restricted annular orices provided between the marginal edges of the base plate S and housing 6.

The motor S also imparts vertical reciprocating motion to the scrubbing -cylinder 7. For this purpose, the armature shaft 19 of the motor carries an enlarged cam sleeve 22 having a reversely threaded cam groove 24 on its outer cylindrical surface. The sleeve is affixed to the armature shaft by a set screw 23, and the groove 24 is engaged by a cam follower 25 carried in a tubular cross frame upon which the scrubbing cylinder 7 is mounted. This cross frame includes horizontal tubes 26 and 27, projecting in opposite directions from the vertical slide tube 28. Thus, the cross frame acts to reciprocate the scrubbing member 7 vertically, yet to keep it centrally disposed with respect to the motor shaft. The scrubbing member 7, which may also be termed a manipulator or washing basket is preferably formed of heavy wire mesh, hardware cloth, or other fairly rigid material having a multiplicity of perforations therein, so that wash Water in a vessel in which the machine is placed may flow freely inwardly through the walls of the scrubbing member and into the upper end of the tubular inlet 13 leading to the pump. As shown, the scrubbing member is of stepped :cylindrical shape, having its upper portion of greatest diameter, with lower portions offset inwardly by steps 7a and 7b. The extreme lower end of the basket has a step 7c extending inwardly therefrom and closely surrounding the upwardly extending tubular sleeve 13 on the pump housing.

A feature of primary importance in the present invention is the air inlet to the pump. Means for admitting a constant, limited amount of air into the inlet of the pump impeller is provided by a slender,v restricted metering tube 31 which, as shown, is affixed to the inner side of one of the risers. The lower end of this tube is spaced just above the centrifugal pump impeller 21, while the upper end is open to the atmosphere to function as an air inlet. To this end, the upper end of the tube 31 extends well above the normal water level line, as indicated at 32 in the drawings. An adjustable orifice may be provided, if desired, but a tube of the proportions shown gives satisfactory results.

The mode of operation of the mechanism just described is illustrated in Figure 2, which illustrates the unique Washing method which the machine has been designed to practice. As showns, the washing machine is disposed in a more or less central location within a receptacle generally indicated at 33. The operation of the motor and centrifugal pump of the machine will set up fluid currents -in the washing solution, and these currents will follow a rather definite pattern beginning with an outward radial flow from the impeller outwardly along the bottom of the vessel, thence upwardly along its exterior walls and inwardly toward the machine, to recir culate the fluid through the pump. This flow pattern is illustrated by the solid line arrows of Figure 2. Simultaneously with the operation of the pump, the scrubbing cylinder 7 is caused to reciprocate in a vertical direction, preferably at a frequency of between 300 and 400 strokes per minute.

Articles of clothing or other fabrics introduced into a washing fluid of soapy water have a normal tendency to sink to the bottom when once thoroughly wetted. However, as the articles of clothing reach the bottom of a vessel in which the present machine is being used, they are directly impinged by a jet or stream of water and air bubbles, projected from the impeller at comparatively high velocity. This is made possible by the presence of the vertical air inlet tube which is of such size, length and cross section as to provide a metered volume of air to the pump. Thus, iu the operation of the pump, the incoming water and air are mixed and commingled and projected as a stream of water including a large amount of air in the form of minute, separate and independent bubbles. It has been learnedthat these bubbles adhere to the fabric surfaces of the garments with which they come in contact, and thus give the fabrics a degree of buoyancy which they would not otherwise possess. The relatively violent movement of the jet of water and air projected from the pump has also been found to cause a fairly complete saturation of the garments with air bubbles, since the bubbles not only adhere to the exposed surfaces of the fabric and work into the crevices between folds, wrinkles, etc., but when projected against the fabric surfaces with considerable force, they penetrate the fabric and lodge between the various layers in such a manner as to give complete buoyancy to the individual items of wash.

The buoyant nature thus imparted to the items being washed brings them to the surface of the wash water. At the surface of the water, the predominant currents of ow are moving inwardly toward the Washing machine. The garments are thus carried inwardly into physical contact with the rapidly moving scrubbing cylinder, which exerts an ellicient washboard action upon the fabric exposed to it. The scrubbing cylinder also serves to manipulate the individual garments of the wash, and nudges the incoming edges of the garments downwardly, tending to roll them over again and again. This gradually releases the air bubbles with which the individual garments are charged, and gradually moves the garments downwardly, until they again enter the outwardly moving jets at the bottom Vof the washing vessel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by United States Letters Patent l. A portable, power operated, duid circulating and Washing machine adapted to be placed in receptacles of agrumi various sizes and shapes for washing fabrics within said vessels, said washing machine comprising a frame with suction means for securing to the bottom of a vessel and .a movable exterior scrubbing member on said frame; the said scrubbing member being in the form of a stepped cylindrical basket having its lowermost portions smaller than its upper end and being mounted for vertical reciprocating movement; together with a pump having a centrifugal impeller disposed ,adjacent the lower Vend of the frame and having a centrally disposed water inlet thereabove and a peripheral water outlet around the lower edge of the machine; means including a single electric motor for driving .said pump, and means for injecting air bubbles into fabrics adjacent the bottom of the vessel to impart buoyancy thereto whereby they will be carried t said scrubbing member by otation and by the huid currents induced by said circulating means; said last named means including a slender tube having its lower end projecting into the water inlet of the pump with its upper end open to the atmosphere.

2. A portable, power operated, uid circulating and washing machine adapted to be placed in receptacles of various sizes and shapes for washing fabrics within said vessels, said washing machine comprising a frame with suction means for securing it to the bottom of a vessel and a movable exterior scrubbing member on said frame; the said scrubbing member being in the form of a stepped cylindrical basket having its lowermost portions smaller than its upper end and being mounted for vertical reciprocating movement; together with a pump having a centrifugal impeller disposed adjacent the lower end of the frame and having a centrally disposed water inlet thereabove and a peripheral water outlet around the lower edge of the machine; means including a single electric motor for driving said pump, and means for injecting air bubbles into fabrics adjacent the bottom of the vessel to impart buoyancy thereto whereby they will be carried to said scrubbing member by dotation and by the uid currents induced by said circulating means.

3. A portable, power operated, fluid circulating and washing machine adapted to be placed in receptacles of various siZes and shapes for washing fabrics within said vessels, said washing machine comprising a frame and a movable exterior scrubbing member on said frame; the said scrubbing member being in the form of a basket mounted for vertical reciprocating movement; together with a pump having a peripheral water outlet around the lower edge of the machine; means for driving said pump, and means for injecting air bubbles into fabrics adjacent the bottom of the vessel to impart buoyancy thereto whereby they will be carried to said scrubbing member by flotation and by the fluid currents induced by said circulating means; said last named means including a slender tube having its lower end projecting into the water inlet of the pump with its upper end open to the atmosphere.

4. A portable, power operated, lluid circulating and washing machine adapted to be placed in receptacles of various sizes and shapes for washing fabrics within said vessels, said washing machine comprising a frame and a movable exterior scrubbing member on said frame; the said scrubbing member being in the form of a basket mounted for vertical reciprocating movement; together with a pump having a peripheral water outlet around the lower edge of the machine; means for driving said pump, and means for injecting air bubbles into fabrics adjacent the bottom of the vessel to impart buoyancy thereto whereby they will be carried to said scrubbing members by otaticn and by the uid currents induced by said circulating means.

5. A portable, power operated, fluid circulating and washing machine adapted to be placed in receptacles of various sizes and shapes for washing fabrics within said vessels, said washing machine comprising a frame with suction means for securing it to the bottom of a vessel and a pump having a centrifugal impeller with a water inlet 6 r vand a peripheral water outlet positioned substantially 'therebelow; means including 'an electric motor for driving said pump, and means for injecting air bubbles into fabrics adjacent the washingmachine to impart buoyancy thereto whereby they will be carried to said machine by otation and by the fluid currents induced by said circulating means; said last named means including a slender tu'be 'having one end ,projecting into the pump, with its other end open lto the atmosphere.

6. A portable, power operated, uid circulating and washing machine adapted to be .placed in receptacles of various sizes `and shapes for washing fabrics within said vessels, said washing machine comprising a frame with suction means for securing it to the bottom of a vessel and a pump having a centrifugal impeller with a water inlet and a peripheral water outlet positioned substantially therebelow; means including an electric motor for driving said pump, and means for injecting air bubbles into fabrics adjacent the washing machine to impart buoyancy thereto whereby they will be carried to said machine by flotation and by the fluid currents induced by said circulating means.

7. A portable, power operated, fluid circulating and washing machine adapted to be placed in receptacles of various siz'es and shapes for washing fabrics within said vessels, said washing machine including a pump with a water inlet and a peripheral water outlet positioned substantially therebelow; means including an electric motor for driving said pump, and means for injecting air bubbles into fabrics adjacent the washing machine to impart buoyancy thereto whereby they will be carried to said machine by dotation and by the fluid currents induced by said circulating means; said last named means including a slender tube having one end projecting into the water inlet of the pump, with its other end open to the atmosphere.

8. A power operated fluid circulating and washing machine having a frame and an open hollow scrubbing member in the form of a stepped cylindrical basket having its lowermost portions smaller than its upper end and mounted on said frame for vertical reciprocating movement; together with circulating means for inducing converging flow currents in washing solution around said machine and causing said currents to flow toward said scrubbing member, said means including a pump having a centrifugal impeller disposed adjacent the lower end of the scrubbing member with a centrally disposed water inlet within said scrubbing member and a peripheral water outlet around the lower edge of said member; means for driving said scrubbing member and said circulating means, and means for injecting air bubbles into fabrics adjacent the bottom of said scrubbing member to impart buoyancy thereto whereby they will be carried to said scrubbing member by flotation and by the iuid currents induced by said circulating means; said last named means including an air inlet for said pump separate from and independent of the water inlet thereto and comprising a slender tube having its lower end projecting into the water inlet of the pump with its upper end open to the atmosphere.

9. A power operated iluid circulating and washing machine having a frame and an open hollow scrubbing member in the form of a stepped cylindrical basket having its lowermost portions smaller than its upper end and mounted on said frame for vertical reciprocating movement; together with circulating means for inducing converging ilow currents in washing solution around said machine and causing said currents to liow toward said scrubbing member, said means including a pump having a centrifugal impeller disposed adjacent the lower end of the scrubbing member with a centrally disposed water inlet within said scrubbing member and a peripheral water outlet around the lower edge of said member; means for driving said scrubbing member and said circulating means, and means for injecting air bubbles into fabrics adjacent the bottom of said scrubbing member to impart buoyancy thereto whereby they will be carried to said scrubbing member by flotation and by the uid currents induced by said circulating means; said last named means including an air inlet for said pump separate from and independent of the water inlet thereto.

10. A power operated uid circulating and washing machine having a frame and an open hollow scrubbing `member mounted on said frame for reciprocating movement; together with circulating means for inducing couverging flow currents in Washing solution around said machine and causing said currents to flow toward said scrubbing member, said means including a pump with a centrally disposed water inlet Within said scrubbing member and a Water outlet at the lower edge of said member; means for driving said Ascrubbing member and said circulating means, and means for injecting air bubbles into fabrics adjacent the bottom of said scrubbing member to impart buoyancy thereto whereby they will be carried to said scrubbing member by flotation and by the fluid eurrents induced by said circulating means; said last named means including an air inlet for said pump separate from and independent of the Water inlet thereto and comprising a slender tube having its lower end projecting into the Water inlet of the pump with its upper end open to the atmosphere.

1l. A portable power operated Washing machine adapted to be placedA in receptacles ofvvarious sizes and shapes for washing fabrics, said washing machine consisting of a base, a movable fabric scrubbing member, a pump having a Water inlet and a peripheral water outlet, means including an electric motor for driving said fabric scrubbing member and said pump, and an air inlet for said pump separate from and independent of the water inlet thereto.

References Cited in the ile of this patent v UNITED STATES PATENTS 66,353 Joy Iuly 2, 1867 1,588,588 Kleyn June l5, 1926 1,788,980 Callebaut et al. Jan. 13, 1931 l,9l3,755 Haag June 13, 1933 2,157,112 Bonner May 9, 1939 2,356,573 Dunham Aug. 22, 1944 2,430,769 Hutchinson Nov. 11, 1947 2,478,188 Gibson Aug. 9, 1949 2,498,894 McCormick Feb. 28, 1950 2,644,677 Simon July 7, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 639,444 Great Britain lune 28, 1950 

